4.1 Species richness and abundance of pollinators in different
habitats
Habitat types influence the species richness and abundance of insect
pollinators. They are the highest in the open trail of the forest. In
our study, species richness and abundance seem to have a direct relation
to flower abundance. The abundance of flowers plays an important role in
all flower visitors (Sjödin et al., 2008). The open trail of forest
harbor, a comparatively thick layer of herbs and shrubs with varieties
of wildflowers that suffice pollinators with nectar and pollen source.
The quality and quantity of nectar and pollen matter a lot for the
pollinators (Hicks et al., 2016). Trails of open forest were densely
proliferated and covered by Ageratin aadenophora along with other
wild herbs providing good resource plate form, especially for hoverflies
and bees. Furthermore, weeds like Ranunculus repens andTrifolium repens were comparatively more abundant in the open
trails. These flowers were preferred by bees and butterflies (Hicks et
al., 2016; Chaguthi & Dyola, 2019). These plants can provide nectar and
pollen to these insects (Erbar & Leins, 2013; Master & Emery, 2015).
Adult, hoverflies require high energy for hovering flight that could be
obtained from the local landscape with abundant flowers (Haslett, 1989;
Meyer et al., 2009; Proesmans et al., 2019). In contrast, scanty flower
resources also account for the decline in pollinator species richness
and abundance in forest trails with canopy. Canopy cover increases shade
in the understory herb and shrub of the forest lowering flower blooms
and limiting pollinator’s movement (Proesmans et al., 2019). Sampled
areas of the managed habitat in SNNP were open and inhabited by humans
and disturbed by some human activities. Some previous study also shows
that diversity of butterfly is negatively influenced by this factor of
human disturbances (Kambach et al., 2013).